It was a day that most people dread; hitting the half century mark. Some people mark this occasion by crying in their beer, lamenting on missed opportunities, and the fact that they are somewhat closer to death than they are to the day they were born. They see it as a burden, not as a celebration.

I am fortunate enough not to have that view. I actually took the day off on the occasion of my 50th birthday, and spent the early morning hours thinking about how blessed I was to have spent another year above the roses; the fact that after years of abuse to my body I am in reasonably good health; I have a loving, wonderful wife who puts up with me, and that I have wonderful upbeat and energetic friends that are always encouraging me to push myself further and make me feel like I am special. With blessings such as these, who wouldn’t be thankful for turning another year older?

So, after enjoying a light breakfast, I started getting ready to celebrate the special occasion in a special way; by running a half marathon for a half century. I bundled up as it was a little chilly and headed out. The run wasn’t any different than the runs I did before I turned 50, but my mental focus was on how lucky I was that I was able to run, able to just get up and decide to run 13.1 miles, and thankful that I could do these things when so many cannot.

So now I’m 50, or as I like to call it, the youngest in my age division. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way, offered well wishes, or liked or read my blogs and exercise posts on FaceBook.

When my wife got home, she asked how I spent my birthday. When I told her, she smiled and said “It’s going to suck when you turn 100 then.” I hadn’t thought about it before. A century run for a century of living? Could that be doable??

Time to start training 🙂

Live healthy, be happy.

Travis